PLAN Litchfield Protect Litchfield Action Network

Take our survey AND Also Sign the petition: Stop Giant Stop & Shop 

This wall isn’t even 18 ft. We are facing an 18 ft wall plus 6 foot fence on top.

THE PROBLEM:

Mark Greenberg and his development company have signed a lease with Stop and Shop. The plan is proposes to tear down two buildings on the Village Green property and Stop and Shop will build a 39,000 sf new building for Stop and Shop.  Stop and Shop will have more space to make more profit, and Mr Greenberg will have a good tenant, but what about these other consequences:

• Increased run off from the larger parking lot will pollute the water table and the wetlands. Note that this property is on the Aquifer protection area- protecting Litchfield’s water supply.
• There will be a large vacant store where Stop and Shop is now.
• Several small businesses including Bosson Optical, the Litchfield Laundry, and the Business Center – will be displaced in order to expand the parking lot.
• The larger building will require significantly more parking and generate more traffic.
• There will be even more paving and less green space on the Village Green property.
• The larger Stop and Shop will make the property less like a “Village Green” and more like a mall:  it will erode the rural character of our town.
• The larger Stop and Shop will remove more of our dollars from the local economy to feed the profits of a large multinational corporation (Ahold- with profits of over 30 Billion Euros last year).
• The local citizens will know that the landlords and businesses put their own profits ahead of the needs of the community

A possible SOLUTION:  Stop and Shop can have more space and still preserve the small, precious rural character of Litchfield:  Have Rite Aid move to the vacant former Market in Village Green and let Stop and Shop expand into the vacated Rite Aid space

• There would be no empty buildings left as eyesores.
• There would not be a large parking lot and excessively large big box store built in our small town.
• A perfectly useful group of storefronts would be preserved for local and small businesses to occupy, facilitating walking between businesses at Village Green.
• Traffic patterns would remain the same.   If the POCAD’s* recommendations are heeded, traffic flow could be improved by building  a new egress onto Constitution Way.
• Stop and Shop could expand into the vacated space, serve the needs of Litchfield shoppers and save money on a move.
• Both shopping centers would have occupied buildings .
• Litchfield avoids the disruption of demolition and construction
• The landlords and businesses will be appreciated as reasonable and creative members of our community.

What can you do?

• Come to the Wetlands and P&Z meetings:                                                                                                Next meeting is P&Z, Monday August 20, 2012, 7 PM at the Town Annex gym, 80 Doyle Road, Bantam, CT
• Write a letter to the editor using talking points below
• Sign our online petition/ take the survey

Talking and writing points:

PRESERVE:

We would rather keep more local businesses intact, juggle some businesses around rather than displace businesses.

FILL IN THE BLANKS:

We would like to fill the empty buildings in our town rather than create  another huge big box store that leaves a large, vacant store on our main road,

SUBTRACT:

We prefer to minimize traffic and keep our pedestrians safe.  Traffic on route 202 is already a problem.  We do not want to create more. [1]

CONSERVE:

We love supporting local businesses and wish to spend our money on local Litchfield businesses rather than send our money out of state and out of country for a multi-national corporation’s profit.  We love the small town and precious rural character of our town and wish the town regulations reflected these wishes by having restrictions on the size of new construction.[3]

PLAN

Even though the Plan of Conservation and Development has recommended it, there are no regulations on the size of commercial construction in Litchfield.  Local citizens attended P&Z meetings in April, May and June of 2012 to urge them to adopt such a regulation, but the Planning and Zoning Commission has failed to respond.[3]

[1] Facts: about the POCAD (Plan of Conservation and Development (see pages 24-25) http://www.townoflitchfield.org/Pages/LitchfieldCT_Land/POCAD%20Adopted%20June%204,%202007.pdf

[2] Facts: How big is 39,000 sf? Almost the size of a football field minus the end-zones.

[3] More Facts: There are no regulations on the size of construction in Litchfield and despite the urging of local citizens at meetings in April, May and June of 2012 and the POCAD recommendations suggesting the same from 2007, the Planning and Zoning Commission has failed to write any new regulations. Town of Litchfield Planning and Zoning Regulations:

http://www.townoflitchfield.org/Pages/LitchfieldCT_Land/regs/inde

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